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Sunday, July 31, 2011

The big news this week is that Nicholas got his first vaccines. He did pretty well, thanks in part to our brilliant idea to give him a bottle of breast milk while the nurse was administering the shots. He cried, but only briefly. I, on the other hand, cried longer than he did. I just can't stand to see him in pain. That night, he had a screaming fit and his legs hurt really bad to the touch. Lots of snuggling and some Infant Tylenol took the edge off.

I've found he likes to nap on his tummy. Here he is on mommy and daddy's bed after breastfeeding while lying down next to mommy:

Monday, July 25, 2011

When I was little, I had a doll whose eyes were open when she was upright, and then her eyelids closed when she laid down.

Nicholas is the exact opposite of this doll. I feel like we have taken several steps backward this week. He is perfectly content being held and will fall asleep easily, then his eyes pop open the second I put him in his bassinet to sleep. Another favorite trick of his is to pretend to be asleep in his bassinet just until mommy gets comfy in bed, then he starts grunting and fussing and wants to stay awake for another 2 hours. His extreme need to suck is back and when he's awake, he constantly wants his pacifier. That is the only way to get him to fall asleep when we're not holding him, but then the pacifier keeps falling out and we have to put it back in his mouth immediately or he will start crying.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Last week I decided to try breastfeeding one last time with the help of a lactation consultant. I had pretty much told myself it wouldn't work since Nicholas has been exclusively bottle-fed since we left the hospital.

Barbara at The Pump Station was very helpful and gave me lots of good tips. I realized that I had been putting too much pressure on the back of his head, causing him to pull away. I also learned that many of his behaviors, while frustrating, are normal (shaking his head, putting his hands in the way, etc.) and not the result of my poor breastfeeding skills. After an hour with Barbara, Nicholas was latching on like a champ and I was feeling much more confident.

We've had a few rough moments and I caved a couple times and bottle-fed him when I just didn't have the patience, but overall breastfeeding has been a huge success. I'm so proud of my little man, and I love the closeness I feel when I'm nursing him. He is no longer inconsolable when he's hungry...he now realizes that nursing = satisfaction instead of frustration, which means both of us are a lot less stressed out.

In addition to my fabulous lactation consultant, I could not do this without the help of the Brest Friend nursing pillow and the Breastflow bottles. The Brest Friend is so much better than the Boppy because it stays in one place and it puts baby on a flat surface so he doesn't roll. And the Breastflow bottles were wonderful for transitioning him to the breast because they force him to compress as well as suck, just like with breastfeeding. When he was really upset and hungry, I had him drink expressed milk out of a Breastflow bottle for a few minutes, then I took it away and introduced the breast, and he was able to latch on pretty well.

The best tip Barbara gave me was to have baby practice latching with a bottle--touch the wide base of the bottle's nipple to baby's chin, wait for him to open wide, then pull him toward you while guiding his mouth up and over the nipple. This works well with the Breastflow bottles. I always make sure to hold him the way I'd hold him if I were breastfeeding (in a cross cradle hold), so he gets used to the positioning.

If you are considering seeing a lactation consultant, DO IT. It was so worth it!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

We saw a new pediatrician this week and I feel really good about her. She's personable and really took the time to answer all of my questions. The office staff was very helpful and pleasant also.

Nicholas is starting to stay awake for longer periods of time. We've been doing a few minutes of Tummy Time each day, and he likes laying on my lap and looking at me when my knees are bent and I'm laying on the couch. He is learning to visually track objects and can now turn his head left and right and look up to follow a toy rattle. Such a smart boy! I took lots of pictures this week. Here are some of my favorites:

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Nicholas had his first pediatrician visit this week when he was 8 days old. We saw the pediatrician that we worked with in the hospital, but it was about a 45 minute drive and I was in tears by the time we got there because I was so stressed out. The next day, I called my OB and she referred me to a pediatrician that's only about 15 minutes away. We'll be going there next week for his 2 week check-up.

Nicholas now has tear ducts that produce tears, and his eyes get gunky sometimes. He is starting to eat more frequently. Instead of eating a meal every 3 hours, he sometimes wants smaller meals every 1-2 hours. I think he's hitting a growth spurt.

Nicholas has been looking very intently at my hair this week, and I tried tickling his face with it. He scrunched his nose and seemed amused. :) I didn't take many pictures this week, but here are a few: